I Dare You
by raendown
Summary: The idea had never occurred to him before. Now that it had he realized just how much he wanted it.
Obviously, Kakashi had been aware of Iruka for years. In fact, he considered the younger man to be a skilled shinobi and they had hovered just on the border of being able to call each other friends since shortly after Team Seven had first been entered in to the chūnin exams so long ago. It wasn't until tonight, however, that he had truly taken a good hard look at the younger man.

Having only had a team for a short period of time he was taking an abnormally long while to recover from having them disbanded, taken away from him one by one. He was happy for Sakura and Naruto; they would undoubtedly flourish in the best of ways under the tutelage of their new mentors. Sasuke he preferred not to think about too much. Still he found himself experiencing a strange sort of empty nest syndrome without the three munchkins around to exasperate him every day, which was why he had ventured out to the Shaky Shinobi tonight in the hopes of a little company to take his mind off of how weirdly lonely he felt.

The bar was dim and dingy, only cleaned when large spills of blood demanded it, but the alcohol was cheap and flowed freely. Not to mention the windows were all reinforced and inlaid with wire mesh. It was a lot more comfortable putting your back to a window if you were confident no kunai could come flying through to pierce your neck. Kakashi found himself sitting on a stool right along the bar with Aoba on one side and Raidou on the other. Anko flitted back and forth between their conversation and another one a few feet away, trying to stay up to date on all the latest gossip by being everywhere at once. The Copy Nin was on his third beer of the evening and feeling pleasantly mellow. The beginnings of a buzz were prickling at the back of his mind, making the corners of his mouth quirk up behind his mask in a dopey sort of way.

He was listening to Raidou ruminate on whether or not the pretty kunoichi at the next table might be interested in going home with him when loud music suddenly overpowered the hum of a dozen conversations. Words cut off and heads turned towards where three men were sitting next to the clunky old jukebox in the corner. Kakashi instantly recognized Iruka, though it took him a couple seconds to coin the other two as Izumo and Kotetsu, the two chūnin who frequently covered gate duty these days. The one with the bandana over his shaggy hair – Kakashi was pretty sure that one was Izumo – was half standing and half leaning on the source of the noise looking mildly triumphant. Iruka and Kotetsu were throwing their hands up and cheering, presumably over the fact that he had somehow revived the jukebox everyone had long assumed was dead. Their faces were all flushed and Iruka's ponytail was hanging at a strange angle.

"Looks like I get dinner _and_ a show tonight," Anko's voice purred in his ear. Kakashi leaned away from her even as he turned to give her a curious look.

"Dinner?" Aoba piped up questioningly before Kakashi could say anything.

Anko tossed her hair and raised a glass almost drained of whiskey. "I'm an alcoholic; this counts as my dinner," she declared. "And for the show, the Terrible Triplets are on the town tonight it seems."

"Terrible Triplets?" Kakashi asked. "I didn't know they were all related."

"They won't let me make that a thing," Anko whined. "Said it's too cheesy or whatever." She paused to toss back the last of her drink then continued. "They're not related, they're just really close friends. And they're _terrible_ when they're in the mood for trouble."

Kakashi gave her a dubious look. It was hard to equate Umino Iruka with any sort of trouble. In all their interactions Kakashi had always found the brunette to be unfailingly polite and proper. He seemed to delight in order and having things done right. Raidou swung around on his stool and leaned his elbows behind him on the bar top while he put in his two cents.

"She's right. They kind of have this long standing game. They come up with dares for each other and they're not allowed to back down – not ever. They call it tradition but really I think it's just an excuse to let off some steam and have someone else to lay the blame on if things get really out of hand." He was grinning openly, obviously as pleased as Anko was about the upcoming entertainment. "Now we just sit back and watch whatever it is they come up with for tonight."

"I hope it's something embarrassing this time," Anko said with a smirk. "It's so hard to get blackmail on Iruka these days. He's not ashamed of _anything_."

Kakashi turned himself around on his stool like the others had and steadied his gaze on the table by the jukebox. Izumo was draped almost lovingly over the musical contraption now, using it for balance while he laughed uproariously at something. The knot in his bandana was so loose the material was sliding down over his eyes, though he didn't seem to take much notice. Kotetsu was saying something to the other two with his arms gesticulating widely. Iruka looked intrigued, his eyes dark and bright. Absently, Kakashi noted that he looked rather nice with the color so high in his cheeks and a smile so wide on his face.

Whatever Kotetsu was saying it looked like he was insisting upon it. When finally Izumo managed to contain his laughter he made a valiant attempt at pushing himself upright. He only mostly succeeded, in the end still needing to keep one hand planted for balance. He then struck a gallant pose and put on the airs of making a grand announcement. Now they were all grinning wolfishly.

Kakashi felt his fingers twitch when Iruka dipped in to the weapons pouch hanging off his belt. He paused for a second to share a giggle with his compatriots, and then his hand flashed out and let fly a spray of senbon over the heads of the tables closest to him. Kakashi choked on his sip of beer and had a split second to wonder whose blood would be mopped off the floor tonight.

Apparently, however, Iruka had fair aim even when he was three sheets to the wind. One of his projectiles pierced through the bun of nearby jōnin, granting her a new hair decoration. Two of them were deflected by overly paranoid shinobi who whipped out their own weaponry and blocked what they assumed was an enemy assault. And one of them carried the head wrap straight off of Morino Ibiki's head, pinning in to the wall a foot to his left. Ibiki turned his scarred visage slowly to find the perpetrator, danger flashing in his eyes. Far from seeming afraid of any impending doom, Iruka actually smiled and waved to catch his attention.

Kakashi began to silently plan his comrade's funeral – and then stopped short when he received the shock of his life. As soon as Ibiki laid eyes on Iruka and the multitude of empty glasses littering their table he stopped glaring. After a brief pause he quirked his lips, rolled his eyes, and calmly reached out to retrieve his head wrap and settle it back in to place. Kotetsu and Izumo were laughing and clapping, not a hint on either of their faces that they were even mildly surprised their friend had done that.

"Let the show begin," Kakashi heard Anko murmur to herself while she accepted a fresh drink from the bartender.

And indeed the show had begun. Apparently what Kotetsu had been insisting upon was the initiation of their 'tradition'. From then on the dares began to roll. Kakashi watched one of them serenade a stony-faced Ebisu, he watched one of them juggle kunai with one hand while downing shots with the other, and then he watched two of them have a race to see who could crawl from one of the bar to the other the fastest – it appeared to be a rule that they were required to crawl underneath as many occupied tables as possible. The squeals and swearing as drunken shinobi felt someone crawl across their feet were absolutely hilarious.

When the race was finished it seemed to be Kotetsu's turn to announce a dare. First, the three of them met back at their table in order to throw back the round of vodka shots that someone apparently sent to them a while back. Then they all put their heads together with an air about them as if they were discussing matters of extreme importance. The image was ruined by a waitress coming around and dropping off yet another round of drinks. This round of drinks all just happened to have brightly colored umbrellas for decorations. It was rather difficult to look serious when you were sipping something that looked as if it belonged on a tropical beach. Kakashi watched in mild astonishment as two of them pumped their fists in to the air a moment later then scrambled up to stand on the closest tables – Iruka with some measure of grace and Izumo with much flailing and wobbling. It was clear who could hold alcohol better between them.

Once situated on top of the furniture Iruka glanced behind himself with a thoughtful look, then he leaned over and dealt the jukebox a couple of solid kicks. On each blow the ancient machine responded with a protesting shriek before changing songs. When it had landed on a track that seemed to strike his fancy the chūnin retracted his foot with a satisfied grin. Izumo released a loud whooping noise, throwing his hands up and waving them about frantically.

Then the two of them began to dance. It was not, by any means, seductive. More than anything else they looked rather silly. Still the two men seemed to be having a great deal of fun as they caroused, loose-limbed and bright faced, completely unabashed of the spectacle they were making of themselves. They dipped their hips and tossed their hair. Iruka kicked up his heels and stomped his feet without so much as disturbing a single shot glass, a ninja of fair skill even after this much to drink. It seemed that Izumo didn't want to chance his own skill as his feet stayed firmly rooted to the tabletop.

Even if they weren't doing anything particularly sexy Kakashi couldn't help but admire the way the sensei moved. There was a sort of grace about him that spoke of how very aware he was of his own body. It spoke of a confidence that many never achieved no matter how skilled they grew to be. A small voice in a quiet part of Kakashi's mind whispered that this was the perfect combination for the kind of person he had always found to be the best sort of lover. As soon as the thought crossed his mind he found his imagination flooded with imagery. Iruka, he thought helplessly, would know exactly what he wanted in bed. Better than that he would not be afraid to ask for it.

He suppressed a shudder before those sitting with him could take notice. It absolutely would not do to make Anko aware of how affected he somehow found himself. He discovered that it was suddenly next to impossible for him to look away from the spectacle across the room, even as the two drunken chūnin clambered back down off their perches with the same varying levels of grace as when they got up there. Kotetsu joined the majority of the establishment in giving them a hearty round of applause before accepting the next challenge.

After that the dares grew slightly wilder, often verging on naughty. At one point Iruka whispered his next idea in to his friend's ear. A few minutes later Kotetsu was triumphantly waving aloft a kunoichi's bra, his face decorated in a delightfully similar shade of pink. The woman to whom the garment belonged gave an ear splitting shriek as she recognized it and realized it had gone missing without her feeling a thing. To be a shinobi was truly a wonderful thing.

All through the play and fun Kakashi's eyes almost never left Iruka. It was as if, now that the thought had occurred to him, his imagination was making up for lost time. He found himself picturing that flush rising in a different kind of situation, those dark eyes hooded and looking up at him from below, or the strength of those legs wrapped around his own waist. It became necessary rather quickly to clench his drink just a little too tight, to dig his nails in to the meat of his thigh. Instead of distracting him as he had hoped it would the sensation actually encouraged the hardness rapidly expanding under his waistline as his mind cheerfully provided the image of Iruka holding on in the throes of passion.

Kakashi held back a moan, hiding it in a long pull from what he counted as his fifth beer. Aoba jostled his arm as he swayed with laughter, amused by the blind target practice currently taking place across the bar. The momentary distraction was enough for him to get a tenuous grip on himself and turn his gaze away, hoping not to show how affected he was by _nothing but his own imagination_. It was not enough for long, however.

Kakashi allowed his gaze to travel back to the "Terrible Triplets", as Anko had dubbed them, when he received a deliberate elbow in the ribs from Raidou. When he looked up it was to see Iruka moving in his direction with purpose written on his face and mischief alight in his eyes. Those dangerous eyes were locked dead on to his own. Kakashi tried his best to swallow surreptitiously and hoped to any power who might be listening that the sensei didn't notice.

"Kakashi-san," Iruka breathed his name in a husky manner that – to his clouded mind – sounded full of promises. He opened his mouth to try to answer but his words caught in his throat as the brunette came to a stop by pushing himself up close, right in to his personal bubble. For a moment he could do no more than stare and forget how to breathe.

Finally he cleared his throat and replied with a muttered, "Iruka-sensei." Iruka pulled one side of his mouth up in a wicked smirk.

"Having a good time?" the younger man asked.

"Yes?" he heard the hesitant, questioning note in his own voice and almost winced. Iruka leaned even farther forward until their chests were almost brushing against each other and placed his lips right next to Kakashi's ear.

"I could show you a better time," he rasped. The Copy-Nin emitted a strangled noise, unable to stop it.

The Iruka turned his head and landed a kiss directly over Kakashi's mask-covered lips and his brain promptly lost all capability of higher functions.

It wasn't the best kiss he had ever had, blocked it was by a layer of material and made slightly clumsy by many rounds of alcohol for both parties. It was still enough to steal his breath and make his hand grasp blindly for the front of Iruka's vest when the chūnin made to pull away, reeling him back in for more. The startled yet pleased noise this elicited shut down any remnants of self-control that he had left to his name.

Their lips moved against each other with just enough pressure and it was like a dream. Then he felt an inquisitive tongue press against the thin cotton separating them and without a single thought he tugged it down, accepting the questing appendage in to his mouth and answering with his own. If it was a dream before, he thought to himself, it was heaven now. When he realized his one hand was still clutching the other man's clothing, the other cradling the back of his head, he used that leverage to force their bodies even closer. The warmth between them was sweet and addictive, almost as much as the taste of the kiss itself.

Slowly, gradually, Kakashi became aware that the complete silence that he was hearing was not, in fact, due to the absolute brilliance of the kiss blotting out his senses to all else. It was actually because every person in the crowded building was staring slack-jawed at the two of them. He felt heat creep up the back of his neck and was very conscious suddenly of how Iruka's face was the only thing keeping the general public from seeing his own. What he did in response to this realization was more due to the brain-melting assault he was currently subject to rather than the alcohol he had so far consumed. Mind blank, Kakashi panicked. Then he made a hand sign with his fingers tangled in thick brown hair and the two of them were teleported to the first place of safety that popped in to his head: his apartment. More specifically: his bedroom.

Iruka made a surprised sound and pulled away a mere half an inch, looking around in bemusement at his new unexpected location. It was only a brief look. Then he rested his hot eyes on the flustered jōnin in his clutches and raised a single eyebrow.

"Sorry," Kakashi gasped out, his thoughts still woefully scattered about.

"What for?" Iruka asked. "I believe you were promised a good time." That wicked grin was back. This time Kakashi was sure that the younger man could clearly see him swallowing harshly past his suddenly parched throat.

"Are you doing this on a dare?" he blurted. The part of him that was normally fairly suave and confident cringed at how like an adolescent that had sounded.

Iruka pulled away another half an inch and regarded him with a tilted head and hooded expression. "The first kiss was a dare," he admitted honestly. "It's your fault I liked it enough to want more."

Kakashi felt an embarrassing amount of relief flood through his system at the same time he felt a smile playing about his lips. "I'd say most of the blame lies at your feet, sensei, but I don't think I care so long as you let me kiss you again."

He didn't get a verbal response but he did find his mouth occupied rather agreeably once more. This time it was him that dared to run his tongue along the seam of his companion's lips. When Iruka granted him access and engaged him in the most pleasant kind of battle he groaned unreservedly. The sensei tasted of three different kinds of alcohol yet he found himself chasing the delicious underlying flavor of wild sunlight – something he assumed was Iruka's natural taste. It was unlike anything he had ever encountered before and he was eager for more. He wondered if that flavor would be on the tanned skin he was currently running his fingers over.

Iruka was purring under his touch, wordlessly encouraging his hands to slip under the regulation blacks and along his sides. He obliged with no objections. His fingertips traced lines of muscle and tickled old forgotten scars. The chūnin's skin was hot and damp with a layer of sweat after his evening of fun. Kakashi fully intended to make him sweat for different reasons before the night ended. The way Iruka arched in to him and groped for the zipper of his flak vest indicated that he was in full agreement with that plan.

Kakashi let his zipper be pulled down and helped shrug off the thick garment. The tug on the hem of his shirt was distracting but he managed to concentrate long enough to divest Iruka of his first layer as well. Just to make certain they stayed on equal footing of course.

The next few minutes blurred in to a mad rush to remove every stitch of clothing from both of their persons. Arms were tangled in shirt sleeves, impatient hands were shoved under waistlines, and trousers were shoved down to become caught in ankle wrappings. Kakashi ended up tearing those wrappings with his fingers as his weapon pouches had all been tossed in random directions. The action earned him a chuckle which cut off and became a rough moan when he straightened and began nibbling on the line of Iruka's jaw. He carefully noted the sensitive spot even as he moved along, trailing down the smooth neck being bared to his attentions.

When they were both finally – _finally_ – naked they stumbled to the bed and fell down together in a cacophony of limbs. Kakashi braced himself over the younger man with one arm, using the other to slide his palm down a very solid chest. Every dip and angle was explored with equal enthusiasm, though he found himself returning to pass his thumb over a dusky nipple a second time just to hear Iruka's breath hitch again. When he did that it apparently galvanized his partner in to action. He felt hands begin to return the favor, gripping tightly when he found the most responsive areas.

All the while Kakashi had kept up the chase for that wild flavor with frantic kisses and brief forays across neck and shoulders. When his hands had taken their fill of first touches he began to move his kisses lower, searching for sunlight in every slope and curve of the chest beneath him. He discovered that nibbling gently on Iruka's right nipple induced a gasp followed by hands clutching at his bicep, while the left nipple had a small scar running through and appeared to not having any feeling left in it. The dichotomy delighted him for reasons he chose not to think about.

He licked and nipped his way down the chest and abdomen then diverted his course and softly sank his teeth in to a clenched hip, slowly adding more pressure. Iruka huffed and bucked up against his mouth, then gripped a fistful of his hair and pulled. He found himself dragged back up so they were face to face and drawn in to a searing kiss.

"Stop teasing," the younger man gasped against his mouth. "Please tell me you have something." His voice was breathy, verging on a desperate whine.

Kakashi stilled for a moment and his eyes blinked open. "I think so? It might have expired." Keeping his weight on one arm he stretched out with the other to rummage through the top drawer of his night stand, searching by touch. Thankfully it wasn't cluttered but he was too far away to see what he was looking for.

"It's lube, Kakashi. What's the worst that can happen?"

His fingers closed around a small plastic tube and he drew his arm back, only to smile a little triumphantly.

"Probably don't have to worry anyway," he said, wiggling the item in the air between them. Iruka glanced at it then raised an incredulous brow, making Kakashi flush in defensive embarrassment. "What? It's not _my_ fault other people are too afraid to kiss me!"

Expired the bottle might be, just barely, but it was also still sealed. It had never even been opened.

"It might be a little your fault. The mask, you know?" Iruka reached for the tube and tore in to the plastic surrounding the cap with his teeth. Kakashi tried to control his breathing to conceal just how much the brunette's enthusiasm excited him. It had indeed been a while since he'd been with someone like this. A couple years, actually. However he was determined to show the sensei the night of his life anyway.

Once the plastic fell away from the cap Kakashi held out a hand for Iruka to drizzle some cool liquid in to. Now properly equipped he reached that hand down and traced a single slick finger in a slow drag across the eager entrance waiting for him. When Iruka glared up at him impatiently, color high on his cheeks and pupils blown out, he smirked and repeated the motion just as slowly.

"Are you in a hurry, sensei?" he purred. Iruka bucked and groaned, dropping his head backwards on to a pillow. Kakashi rewarded his lack of complaints by pressing the tip of the finger inside, inching inside up to the first knuckle, pulling back and pressing back in with the same lack of speed. Iruka's legs opened wider almost as if the movement was unconscious. The younger man pressed back against his finger as a wordless encouragement for him to speed it up a bit. Kakashi ignored him until he heard his name whispered huskily, then he relented by adding a second finger. Iruka moaned his approval.

Once Iruka was relaxed enough to add a third finger Kakashi made sure to change angles and brush against his fellow shinobi's prostate. It would bring the sensei closer to the edge sooner, but he knew he wasn't going to last as long as he would like once he was finally able to sink inside that tanned body. The only thing that had touched him in years was his own fist. It was going to take all of his meager self-control just to make sure he didn't embarrass himself, let alone last as long as he used to be able to. Besides, marathon sex was best engaged in with a partner whose limits you were already familiar with.

At last he judged the sensei loosened enough to get on with the part he was most looking forward to. When he removed his fingers he got a growl so he nipped his companion reprovingly on the lower lip. Then he reached over and pried the lubricant from where it was still absently clenched in Iruka's right hand. It was surrendered immediately allowing him to dole himself out a small bit more with which to slick himself. He clenched his teeth against the slippery cool feeling of his own finders closing around his length, only able to stop from following through on that motion by concentrating on what was to come.

Lining up against the sensei's entrance, he pushed forward with steady pressure. Iruka's needy whine rather nicely covered up his own deep moan as his head slid past the first ring of muscles. Maybe his memory was a tad biased right now but Kakashi was fairly sure that none of his previous partners had ever felt this good before.

"Fuck, don't you dare stop now," Iruka murmured, making Kakashi realize that he had actually paused to relish the feeling of being inside this incredibly attractive man. With an effort he forced himself back to the present.

"You sure?" he breathed in to a warm neck. "Don't want to hurt you." There, that sounded considerate and gentlemanly. No need to announce just how affected he somehow found himself.

"Please…" Iruka writhed underneath him, forcing more of Kakashi's length to slide in, and the Copy-Nin shuddered. That was not playing fair.

When at last he allowed himself to move he did so slowly. Iruka gasped as he pulled almost all the way out and then slid back in inch by agonizing inch. Kakashi's head spun, which he covered by burying his face in the tanned neck before him. He nuzzled the skin there, keeping his thrusts steady and slow.

He had to squeeze his eyes shut tightly when the man underneath him arched his back and dragged him forward with a pair of heels dug into his backside.

"Always so lazy," a silken hot voice growled in his ear.

"Are you in a hurry, Sensei?" he repeated as he nibbled at a convenient collarbone. "Perhaps I feel like savoring." In direct contrast to his own words his next thrust was swift, driving deep. Iruka cried out sharply and panted a few harsh breaths before he was able to reply.

"Savor the next round, fuck me _now_!"

To distract from the embarrassing moan he let out at those words, he complied. Keeping his weight on one arm he used his other hand to hold Iruka's hips in place. Then he followed orders like a good shinobi should and began fucking in earnest. His strokes were sharp and quick and he made a point of trying different angles until he found that spot that made Iruka shout and tighten strong thighs around his waist. Once he found it he aimed to hit there every time.

It wasn't very long before he started to feel that warm coil tightening in his gut. Not wanting to disappoint he reached between them and took the younger man's cock in hand. He kept these strokes in time with their rocking movements, squeezing to give just the right amount of pressure. Mere seconds later he felt the passage surround him clamp down and his partner's face shuttered with bliss. Even if he wasn't so close to cumming already that sight alone would have pushed him straight over the edge. He released with a soft noise, clutching tightly to the hip he was already holding on to, loving the way that the younger man was arching up in to him.

When he was able to draw breath again after the final intense wave of his mind-shattering orgasm he came back to reality and noticed that both of their chests were heaving up and down like they had both run a marathon. After a short moment of silence he felt a hand trace slowly up the outside of his thigh and he shivered.

"Fuck…" he murmured.

"Agreed," Iruka whispered back. Kakashi shifted a bit and pulled out slowly. A nudge on his shoulder over-balanced him and he fell sideways onto the mussed sheets. Iruka pushed him on to his back and he docilely allowed it with no resistance, curious. It surprised him when the chūnin curled up in to his side and rested a head on his pale shoulder. When no words were spoken he wrapped an arm around his companion's waist, nuzzled in to the hair on the top of his head, and closed his eyes contentedly.

For a little while he simply drifted, just on the cusp of falling asleep but not quite there. He felt good – that unique kind of relaxed that happens only after really good sex. And there was no question that had been really good sex. He enjoyed the floating sleepy state he was in until he was gently brought back out of it by the other occupant of his bed.

He was brought back to wakefulness by a foot gently running up and down his leg, occasionally stopping to trace around the lines of his ankle. He released a pleased rumble and stroked his thumb back and forth along a tanned waistline. The younger man squirmed a bit, rubbing against him deliciously, then raised his head and drew Kakashi in to a slow, lingering kiss. As they kissed Iruka moved about, never breaking contact between their lips, until he was straddling the Copy Nin.

"Now sounds like a good time for that savoring that you mentioned earlier," Iruka breathed against his lips. He felt himself grin and kissed the other man in lieu of an answer.

As promised the second round was unhurried and drawn out. This time however Iruka rode him, using Kakashi's pale chest to hold himself up. The silver haired nin marveled at the man moving over top of him and tried not to look quite as blow away as he was feeling, He had an idea that he would do anything those dark eyes asked of him. The thought should have been scarier than it was but he was too caught up in thrusting to meet each perfect downward stroke and soaking in the expressions of ecstasy on display before his eyes.

Thankfully for his pride he managed to last long enough to bring his partner over the edge first again. After they had each spilled their seed for the other Iruka collapsed on top of him and cuddled in to the same position they had lain in before. Kakashi reached out, languidly feeling around with one hand to search for the tissue box that he kept on his night stand. He pressed a couple in to Iruka's hand then nabbed another with which to clean off his own belly. He waited for the chūnin to reach down and clean the worst off of himself before tossing both of their waste in the general direction of his trash bin. Whether or not they actually made it in was of little concern to him right then.

They lay quietly together until he felt himself begin to drift again. The feeling of Iruka's warmth tangled together with his own was wonderful. He wondered why this thought had never occurred to him before, the idea of him and Iruka like this. Now that it had happened he suddenly realized how much sense it made and how very much he wanted this to _keep_ happening. Gathering his courage, he took a chance.

"Iruka?" He kept his voice low in case the other man had already managed to fall asleep. 

"Hmm…" Butterflies erupted in his stomach when his partner hummed to show that he was still awake and listening.

"Do you want to grab breakfast in the morning? There's not much food here but we could go out somewhere…"

He held his breath and listened to the quiet sounds of Iruka inhaling and exhaling. Each long second of silence tore at him until at last a warm hand slid across his chest to rest just over top of his heart.

"I'd like that," came the mumbled reply.

In the darkness, Kakashi smiled.


End file.
